Welcome to My World – Holiday Cookies Made Healthier
Hello World! I am not much of a baker anymore, but these cookies sounded good so I’m sharing them with you to enjoy. This post has actually been sitting here in drafts since last Holiday Season so maybe now is the time to work on it (before another Holiday is over this year.) Well, I missed the winter holidays, but Easter is this weekend. It has been raining for 3 days now so maybe this will cheer me, & you, up…
cute Holiday cookies that are healthier for you and may help relieve the stress you may face as the Holiday approaches…
Iconic Holiday Cookies Made Healthier
You may be asking who in their right mind would want to make a cookie healthier? True; it’s a treat, a splurge, an immutable indulgence. However, healthier doesn’t necessarily mean lower in fat or calories or less delicious. It means using wholesome, natural, unrefined foods to create natural treats that work for multiple dietary styles. We’re going to be ditching the refined sweeteners, artificial food colorings, and traditional flours in this list! Whether you enjoy wheat and dairy, avoid grains, or practice veganism, there is a cookie for just about everyone! Santa is going to be very pleased…
change the shape of your cookies as you approach Easter, Passover, or whatever is coming up. These work for Birthdays as well…
1. GINGERBREAD PEOPLE.
Is it possible to be too festive? Absolutely not. Not only is this a grain-free, dairy-free,
Cookie Monster’s saying hello! If you eat too many cookies how do you feel after? But I sure bet this cute little monster would love a good gingerbread cookie …
refined sugar-free recipe for gingerbread men/houses, but the woman behind the recipe at Fed and Fit has also included a recipe for all-natural, fruit- based gumdrops! Talk about the perfect balance between healthy and festive! This gingerbread recipe uses almond meal as a base, so it’s great for those avoiding grains. Quality gelatin can be really beneficial to your joints!
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies:
Recipe reprinted with permission from Fed and Fit.
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup blackstrap molasses, warmed slightly
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- 2 Tbs extra virgin coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- ½ cup arrowroot flour {for rolling out dough}
Gluten-Free & All-Natural Royal Icing:
- 6 Tbs cage-free egg whites
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies Instructions:
1. Whisk all dry ingredients together and in a separate bowl, whisk all the wet. Add the
cute Holiday cookies that are healthier for you
wet to the dry and stir until evenly combined. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and set in refrigerator to cool and harden for either 4 hours or overnight.
2. On a large piece of parchment paper well dusted with arrowroot flour, start rolling out the dough until it’s ¼” thick. (If you’re making a gingerbread house use gingerbread house stencils on the Fed and Fit website to measure and cut pieces.) Carefully place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Resize with stencils on baking sheet if necessary.
3. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet before moving. When cooled, transfer to a wire baking rack to cool and firm overnight.
Gluten-Free & All-Natural Royal Icing:
1. On high speed, whisk the egg whites and lemon juice together until they form a thick foam. On low speed, carefully add spoonfuls of the 3 cups of powdered sugar until all is combined. Turn speed up to high and whisk for 6 minutes.
2. Transfer to piping bag, color in bowls, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
2. SNICKERDOODLES.
‘Browned butter’ is pretty much another phrase for ‘delicious’. These Browned Butter SnickerDROOLdles from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind will be adored by the paleo and
cookies with hot chocolate anyone? Not Christmas? So make Easter Bunnies, or whatever suits your fancy…
non-paleo alike. This tasty treat is predicated upon dairy, so be sure to use only grass-fed butter. Otherwise, enjoy this delightful confection made with coconut flour, almond flour, and natural sugars!
SnickerDROOLdles
Recipe reprinted with permission from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind
Yield: Two dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 & 1/2 cups sifted blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Kerrygold grass-fed butter browned
- 1 organic cage-free egg
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tablespoon canned coconut milk, full-fat
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For Rolling Mixture:
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Directions:
1. In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, coconut palm sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and salt, set aside.
2. Brown the cup of Kerrygold Grass-Fed butter. Put the butter in a sauce pan and continue to whisk consistently over medium heat until the butter turns brown and starts to give off a toffee like aroma. Immediately remove from heat so it doesn’t burn. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a separate bowl add the egg, raw honey, coconut milk, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until combined. After the browned butter has cooled (you don’t want to cook the egg on accident because the butter is still too hot) stir it into this mixture.
4. Now pour the wet mixture in to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. At this point you will have a dough that has a consistency similar to cake batter. Refrigerate the dough for 2-3 hours and it will harden and thicken up. You can even throw it in the freezer for a bit. Do not skip this step, I promise it will be worth it!
5. Prepare your rolling mixture in a small bowl.
6. After your dough has hardened, preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grab a piece of dough and roll it in a ball, then roll it into the coconut palm sugar/cinnamon rolling mixture and place on the baking sheet. Barely press the end of your palm into the dough to flatten it a tiny bit, don’t press too hard, you only want a slight indentation. The lighter the press, the better! The cookies will spread a lot while baking.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then let cool on the baking tray. Enjoy! Change the cookie’s shape depending on what Holiday is approaching…
3. MOLASSES COOKIES.
As the only wheat-containing recipe in this list, it is by no means less healthy — unless you
Are you experiencing anxiety or depression? Do you wait until no one’s around to eat the sweet junk food? Well, these are healthy so enjoy!
cannot eat wheat, of course. With organic whole-wheat pastry flour, grass-fed butter, raw honey, and pastured eggs, there is nothing to feel guilty about when enjoying this subtly sweet, earthy cookie from The Nourished Kitchen.
Get the recipe here: Chewy Spiced molasses cookies.
4. COCONUT SNOWBALLS.
Vegan and easily adjusted to be 100% raw, these cookies can be enjoyed by most. No nuts, wheat, eggs, dairy, or refined sugar in these balls of delight. It just goes to show that tasty bites of holiday joy come in all flavors and dietary styles! The Kitchn is a great source for traditional cookie recipes as well.
Get the recipe here: No-Bake Coconut Snowballs (Gluten-Free, Nut-Free and Vegan!)
5. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES.
Chocolate chip cookies are an inescapable necessity for those of us whose lives are fueled
Cupcakes work too for special occasions, but if cookies are your thing, try these with chocolate chips…
by chocolate. If you are paleo or are on a grain/dairy free diet, it may seem as though your cookie days behind you. That doesn’t have to be the case, thanks to Danielle Walker of Against All Grain. Grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, these cookies are shockingly good. They are my personal go-to cookie, with one small adjustment — hazelnut flour in place of almond meal. Nutella doesn’t even stand a chance.
Get the recipe here: Real-Deal Chocolate Chip cookies.
Don’t let a restricted diet get you down! There are plenty of healthy ways to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. All it takes is a little creativity and some quality ingredients! Happy baking!
I hope you enjoyed this post, no matter what Holiday is approaching… It is easy to adjust the shape of a cookie for whatever you are celebrating… Enjoy and have a great healthy day!!!
Have a Great Healthy Day! Keep me posted on how well these recipes work for you…